86,000 Sq. Ft. Self-Storage Project Combines Smart Design with Site-Cost Savings

Miller Buildings recently completed a six-building, 86,000-square-foot self-storage project featuring a combination of climate-controlled and non-climate-controlled storage units.

Beyond the size and versatility of the facility, this project showcases how thoughtful building design can help owners reduce excavation, grading, and overall site-development costs.

Building With the Site — Not Against It

One of the biggest opportunities to control development costs on a self-storage project is finding ways to work with the existing terrain rather than spending heavily to create a perfectly flat building site.

This project demonstrates several innovative approaches Miller Buildings can incorporate into a facility design, including:

• Building on a 1% slope to work with existing site grades and minimize unnecessary excavation.
• Adding steps within the buildings to accommodate changes in elevation while maintaining functional, attractive storage space.
• Utilizing bank-barn-style buildings, allowing the design to take advantage of the natural grade of the property.

By incorporating these techniques into the overall design, developers can potentially reduce the amount of cut-and-fill work, retaining requirements, and other costly site preparation while still creating an efficient and marketable storage facility.

Design Flexibility Matters

Every property presents different challenges. Terrain, elevation changes, access, stormwater requirements, and existing site conditions can all have a significant impact on the cost of developing a self-storage facility.

Miller Buildings approaches each project with those factors in mind. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all building layout, we look for opportunities to adapt the buildings to the property.

This 86,000-square-foot facility is a great example of how creative building design and engineering can turn challenging site conditions into an opportunity to control costs and maximize the usable potential of the property.

Six buildings. 86,000 square feet. Climate and non-climate storage. And a design tailored to the site.

At Miller Buildings, we believe the right building design can make a significant difference in the overall economics of a self-storage development.